Everyone has a favorite James Bond. Mine is Sean Connery, because, well, he was my first. In Goldfinger, my inaugural 007 feature, with that rogue accent, the dangerous streak, the glamorous settings, and the slick aesthetic, he had me at "Bond, James Bond." Espionage thrillers are hardly my genre of choice, but that Bond enigma is irresistible—like a Tom Ford ad before there was Tom Ford.

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Bond series, which now boasts 23 films in its canon. And while, over the years, there have been six dashingly heroic Bonds (Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and, now, Daniel Craig), everyone knows they'd have been nothing without their women: The countless damsels in distress and, even more inspiring, the femmes fatales—those women with missions to kill and killer outfits to boot, we know as Bond girls (though they really are so much more than girls). Unlike other movie heroines and villains, the Bond girl is in a category all her own, so much so that the term has entered our pop-cultural and fashion lexicons, describing a bombshell dripping in glamour with guns—literal or figurative—blazing. She's sexy, dangerous, and always perfectly coiffed, and she knows how to work a fashion moment.

The classic Bond girl image is, of course, Ursula Andress rising out of the water in Dr. No wearing a low-waisted, belted cream-colored bikini, accented by only her outrageous curves, wet hair, and a dagger strapped to her hip. That image has been referenced repeatedly in fashion, including—Zee trivia alert!—in Mariah Carey's "Honey" video, which I styled using the iconic swimsuit as inspiration for Mariah's slinky dive-and-rescue scene.

In the brand-new Bond flick, Skyfall, out now, the Bond girl honors fall to Parisian actress Bérénice Marlohe, playing nemesis Sévérine to Craig's Bond. Dark, mysterious, and oozing sex appeal, the 33-year-old, who earned her temptress cred in racy roles on French TV, fits the bombshell mold perfectly—not to mention some of resort's hottest looks, which I styled her in here using hot Bond babes of the past for inspiration. If there's one thing that can be said of every Bond girl, it's that she can morph into different personas with head-turning impact. Remember how Goldfinger actress Shirley Eaton was just as convincing wearing gold body paint as she was in a Doris Day–channeling nightshirt? That sexy versatility is style I like to call shaken, not stirred.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
ELLE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.